I have a 98 subi outback and I live in the high country above crested butte, colorado. I had a subi with all season tires last year and they got me through a pretty epic snow season. they’re saying we might have as big of a year this year, and this subaru has really crappy tires. I need a suggestion for tires that will get me up and down switchbacks that cover 1000 feet in three miles.
Four snow tires on steel wheels from tirerack.com would fill the bill. Review Consumer Reports past issues and the tirerack.com reviews to get insights on which snow tires work well.
We are currently running Traction T/A’s on our Legacy and they did fine in the snow last winter. I think if I lived above Crested Butte, I would go for four snow tires. If you have the Bridgestone RE-92’s, nearly everyone thinks they are lousy winter and rain tires, performance-wise.
The only thing I can add is that today they are called Winter tyres not snow as they are designed for ice as well as snow and are far better under snow and ice conditions than all season tyres.
[b] BTW If you have the AWD you need four matching tyres, don't try to replace two at a time, it could be rather expensive. [/b]I have an '02 Outback, and due to the crappy tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE-92) that Subaru supplies, I too have had to resort to Winter Tires, even though I don’t drive through Rocky Mountain passes. Based on tests from Consumer Reports, 4 years ago I bought a set of Michelin X-Ice tires, mounted on their own steel rims, from Discount Tire. (Normally, I buy from Tire Rack, but for some strange reason, Tire Rack did not have steel rims available at the time that I was buying tires)
True to the evaluations done by Consumer Reports, the Michelin X-Ice is an incredible tire. Besides outstanding traction in both ice and snow, this tire is unique among winter tires in terms of much longer tread wear than other brands of winter tire. After three seasons of winter use, they show hardly any tread wear–unlike some other good winter tires such as Blizzaks. Based on the amount of tread left, I doubt that I will have to replace these winter tires before I buy another car in 2 or 3 years.
Additionally, the Michelin X-Ice is the quietest winter tire that I have experienced, and the dry road handling is so good that it rivals the handling of my “3-season” B.G. Goodrich Traction T/As. In fact, the dry road handling of the Michelin is so good that I would be tempted to leave them on the car all year around, except for the fact that the tread wear would rapidly accelerate in warmer weather.
I doubt that you can find a winter tire with better all-around characteristics than the Michelin X-Ice–if it is still made. Since tire companies like to change model names frequently, it is possible that it has been replaced by another Michelin winter tire. All I can say is that, on my previous car, I used Michelin Arctic Alpin winter tires that were very good. The Michelin X-Ice is the successor to the Arctic Alpin (which also had very long tread life), and it is quieter and better-handling than the Arctic Alpin. So, if the X-Ice no longer exists, I believe that you can buy another Michelin winter tire in confidence. The X-Ice is/was actually the lower-priced Michelin winter tire (their “Pilot” winter tire was much more expensive than the X-Ice), so I think that you can even buy Michelin’s cheaper winter tire with confidence–no matter what model name it might have. And, whatever name Michelin might be currently be using for their winter tires, I believe that they will continue to have longer tread life than the competition.
If your nearly worn all-seasons did it for you, being picky on snows(winters) may not be warranted. Simply put any winter/snow tire is absolutely superior in wintery conditions vs an all-season. Check out tires.com and tirerack.com for research and go with what best fits your budget.
If you use your winter tires only during the cold months they last a long time no matter what you purchase. If you get lax and run them in warm or hot temperatures that they wear down at an excessive rate.